ZENAIR UPDATES RESPONSE TO NTSB REPORT
When the NTSB last week issued a report calling for the Zodiac CH-601XL aircraft to be immediately grounded due to concerns about aerodynamic flutter, it caught the manufacturers by surprise -- but this week at Sun 'n Fun, Mathieu Heintz of Zenair provided AVweb with an update on the company's response to the concerns raised by the report. Independent researchers in Germany are conducting detailed tests on the airplane wings to explore any possibility of flutter issues, Heintz said. "We've seen very clearly that when we have tight control cables as per the design requirements, we do not have a flutter problem with the airplane," he said. Loose cables can result in flutter, he said, but proper maintenance should prevent that from happening. Many of the CH-601XL aircraft were sold as kits before the S-LSA version became available. Heintz said that videos and other data and reports from the independent testing now underway will soon be made available on the company's Web site, and he added that he met with FAA representatives at Sun 'n Fun this week. Click here to listen to AVweb's podcast of the full interview with Heintz. More...

ACROSS THE COUNTRY, FLYING A "PIPE WITH WINGS"
Arty Trost, 65, has been flying her "fat ultralight" MaxAir Drifter, which is now classified as an experimental LSA, for more than 19 years, and this year she flew it from her home in Oregon all the way to Sun 'n Fun. Altogether, the seven-week round trip will cover about 7,500 miles, all of it poking along low and slow, and Trost revels in it. She's motivated not only by her love of flying, but also by her passion to inspire the next generation of aviators, especially girls. "I believe that as they see what another woman is able to accomplish -- in a sport that has very, very few women -- it will inspire them to dream big and live life fully," she wrote in a blog about the trip. Trost flew south to the southern edge of California, then east along the southern border of the U.S. to get to Lakeland. On the way back, she plans to head farther north, crossing the Rockies near Albuquerque and passing through Monument Valley on the way home. A friend, Randy Simpson, has joined Trost for most of the trip, but her husband of 45 years stayed home on their farm. "This might be my longest trip ever, because seven weeks is a long time to be away from home," she said. But she plans to continue to fly in her trusted Drifter for a long time yet. More...

LYCOMING CHOOSES LSA ENGINE TESTER
Lycoming's entry in the Light Sport Aircraft engine derby will be flight tested by T&T Aviation, of Washington, Pa. in a Falcon LSA that it imports from Corvus Aircraft, of Hungary. Flight tests will begin soon with an eye to limited delivery of the 200-210 horsepower engines by the end of the year. The engine, which will compete directly with Continental's LSA-modified 0-200, will put out a maximum of 116 horsepower at 2,800 rpm or 100 horsepower at a more realistic 2,400 horsepower. Derated models at 90 and 80 horsepower will also be available and the engine will be able to run on avgas or 91/96 octane unleaded car gas that meets D4814 or EN 228 standards. More...

LOPRESTI AWARD GOES TO RETRACTABLE WHEEL PANTS
A pair of wheelpants that open up on the ground and close up in flight to completely cover the tires won this year's LoPresti Innovation Award, company spokesman RJ Siegel announced at Sun 'n Fun on Friday. The award comes with a plaque and a year's worth of support and advice to help bring the product to market. The wheelpants were designed by James Bede Jr. of BedeCorp. Siegel said he expects to see the pants in production and available for sale by EAA AirVenture at Oshkosh later this summer. "The first ones will fit an RV-7 or RV-10," he said, "and will add as much as 8 knots to cruise speed." Those wheelpants will sell for $1,995 a pair, he said, and he hopes to soon add more designs for more aircraft, including certified airplanes. The award was established last year in honor of the company founder, Roy LoPresti. More...

MISSIONATOR DISPLAYS BEECH 1900D VERSATILITY
t's not often that airliners are on display at Sun 'n Fun but Raytheon's Beechcraft 1900D "Missionator" demo aircraft was in the commercial area showing the versatility of the design. And no, that's not a misprint. When Raytheon sold off what is now Hawker Beechcraft, it kept the airliner division, even though the aircraft are built by Beech. The 1900D is the current generation of the aircraft, which was designed specifically as a 19-seat regional airliner. Company spokesman Skip Gallagher said in a podcast interview it wasn't long before operators discovered other uses for the versatile turboprop with the stand-up, box-like interior. More...

AVWEB'S SUN 'N FUN 2009 GALLERIES: DAY FIVE — THE AIR SHOWS

Click for more photos

We've been at Sun 'n Fun for a few days now, and we finally got a chance to take in the afternoon air show! Well, at least our photographer Mariano Rosales did — and, as always, his shots are the next best thing to being there. More...

AVWEB'S SUN 'N FUN 2009 PODCAST #9: ZENAIR UPDATES RESPONSE TO NTSB REPORT
When the NTSB last week issued a report calling for the Zodiac CH-601XL aircraft to be immediately grounded due to concerns about aerodynamic flutter, it caught the manufacturers by surprise — but this week at Sun 'n Fun, Mathieu Heintz of Zenair provided AVweb's Mary Grady with an update on the company's response to the concerns raised by the report.

This podcast is brought to you by Lightspeed Aviation's Zulu Headset and Gulf Coast Avionics. More...

AVWEB'S SUN 'N FUN 2009 PODCAST #10: MISSIONATOR MISSION AT LAKELAND
The Beech 1900D is one of the most versatile regional airliners available in the under-20-seat range. Raytheon (yes, Raytheon) spokesman Skip Gallagher explains how they're taking that message to the world with a unique world tour.

This podcast is brought to you by Bose Corporation and WxWorx XM WX Satellite Weather. More...

AVWEB'S SUN 'N FUN 2009 VIDEO #9: LYCOMING UPDATE — IE2 ENGINE PROGRESSES
With an industrial development grant from the state of Pennsylvania formalized, Lycoming is move forward with its IE2 electronic engine initiative. Here's a video update from AVweb's exclusive Sun 'N Fun coverage.

This video is brought to you by Bose Corporation and WxWorx XM WX Satellite Weather. More...

AVWEB'S SUN 'N FUN 2009 VIDEO #10: CROSS COUNTRY ON A POLE
Experimental aircraft pilot Arty Trost flew an open-cockpit 55-mph aircraft from Oregon to Florida for the Sun 'n Fun air show. The cross-country aircraft is a Maxair Drifter.

This video is brought to you by Gulf Coast Avionics and Lightspeed Aviation's Zulu Headset. More...

AVWEB'S NEWSTIPS ADDRESS ...
Our best stories start with you. If you've heard something 200,000 pilots might want to know about, tell us. Submit news tips via email to newstips@avweb.com. What have you heard? More...

MEET THE AVWEBFLASH TEAM

AVwebFlash is a weekly summary of the latest news, articles, products, features, and events featured on AVweb, the internet's aviation magazine and news service.

The AVwebFlash team is:

Publisher
Timothy Cole

Editorial Director, Aviation Publications
Paul Bertorelli

Editor-in-Chief
Russ Niles

Contributing Editors
Mary Grady
Glenn Pew

Features Editor
Kevin Lane-Cummings

Webmaster
Scott Simmons

Contributors
Jeff van West
Mariano Rosales

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